Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to build a swimming pool?

The length of time to build a new inground Gunite swimming pool will vary depending on the following factors:

Time to obtain permits. (Some cities respond more quickly than others.)

Weather conditions. (Excessive rain will slow the process.)

Complexity of the pool design. (Special features such as waterfalls, vanishing edges, etc. may add some additional time construction.)

Workload/time of year. (Our crews are especially busy during late spring and early summer.)

Under ideal conditions, we can start and finish your pool in less than 30 days. Most of our pools are completed between 30 and 60 days.

What is Gunite?

Gunite is a special type of cement that is ideal for swimming pool construction. It is mixed on location and sprayed through a high-pressure nozzle by an expert applicator. Unlike traditional cement that you might use to pave a driveway or other horizontal surface, Gunite can be applied vertically to form walls or other custom shapes. First invented in 1909, Gunite became quickly and immensely popular throughout the world for all sorts of construction purposes. It is now the number one material in the world for inground pool construction.

Is Gunite better than fiberglass or a vinyl liner pool?

Having been in the Gunite business for more than 40 years, we're certainly inclined to think so. But to be perfectly honest, each of these types of pools has its own advantages.

A fiberglass pool can be installed very quickly -- sometimes in less than two weeks. The downside to a fiberglass pool is that you are extremely limited in shapes, sizes, colors and depths. Customizing or adding special features to a fiberglass pool is extremely difficult.

A vinyl liner pool is usually the lowest cost option for an in-ground pool. The main criticism most people have with a vinyl liner pool is that when you're in it, it feels just like the inside of an above-ground pool. There is also the risk of poking a hole in the vinyl liner, and causing a leak. (If you have a dog that likes to swim, this might be something to consider.)

A Gunite pool has the advantage of being 100% completely customizable. Any size, any shape, any depth, and an unlimited number of custom features. The most exotic pool features available today (grottos, waterfalls, vanishing edges, perimeter overflow, etc.) are almost exclusively available only with Gunite pools. The other advantage of Gunite is that "it feels like a real pool" as opposed to feeling like the inside of a bathtub or a kiddie pool. That may be why hotels, resorts, country clubs and other businesses overwhelmingly prefer Gunite pools for their facilities.

I heard that Gunite pools are likely to crack. Is that true?

A poorly built Gunite pool certainly has the potential to crack. But a properly built Gunite pool can and should last for 100 years or more, with no risk of cracking whatsoever. We've been building Gunite pools for more than 40 years (more than 4000 swimming pools), and we've never had one crack yet. We know how to build a Gunite pool correctly, which is why every one of our swimming pools comes with a lifetime warranty.

How much work is it to maintain a swimming pool?

20 or 30 years ago, owning a swimming pool meant you had to spend Saturday mornings brushing and vacuuming your pool, adjusting the chemicals, and trying to scoop out all the leaves and other debris. Today's pools, by comparison, are 100 times easier to maintain, thanks to these many great innovations:

Automatic cleaners brush and vacuum the pool for you.

Salt-based chlorine generators manage the chlorine for you automatically.

Ozonators and mineral systems reduce the need for chlorine, while keeping the water clean and pure for longer periods of time.

Automatic covers will keep out any leaves or other debris with the push of a button. This is also a great safety feature, since no people or animals can get into the pool when it's closed.

I've heard that swimming pools use a lot of electricity.

Recent innovations have dramatically cut the amount of electricity that a swimming pool uses, by an average of 66%. This is as a result of: